The Scottish Highlands – a land of rugged landscapes, dramatic coastlines, and majestic castles that has captivated the imaginations of poets, writers, and travellers for centuries. And as I stepped onto the train in York to begin my Highland Adventure holiday, I knew I was about to experience something beautiful, but I never expected it to be such a cathartic journey.

Straddling the mighty River Ness and rubbing shoulders with world-famous Loch Ness, the vibrant Scottish city of Inverness has a whole lot to offer.

There’s something deeply romantic about train journeys. In a fast-paced world where the skies are dotted with aeroplanes and air traffic has become the norm, the nostalgic appeal of trains can hardly be denied.

What can be said about Scotland? For one, the scenery (providing it’s not so misty you can’t see the hand in front of your face) in this wild corner of the world can never just be ‘nice’ or ‘pretty’, it can only ever be breathtakingly dramatic, awe-inspiring, and slightly ominous, and you can see all of it in its disconcerting glory through its vast selection of rail journeys.

Whether you read a chapter or two each night to your children, or grandchildren, or enjoyed secretly devouring page after page by wand light, er of course I mean lamp light; the Harry Potter novels and later film franchise, are sure to have had some kind of impact on most denizens of Britain’s green and pleasant lands. With its messages of tolerance, bumbling wizards inhabiting tumbledown cottages, filled with eclectic and magically misbehaved nick-knacks, and scenic descriptions of swathey Scottish landscapes, it’s obvious to any discerning reader that good old Blighty is almost as much a leading character throughout all seven books as Harry himself.

How many of us have wanted to walk straight into the pages of our favourite books? While it might not be possible quite yet to experience the lives of the fictional heroes and heroines we’ve walked side by side through life with for a little while, and sometimes who’d want to (think of just about any character from a Stephen King novel).

There is something undeniably romantic about travelling by rail. Maybe it's incredible landscapes or deep blue skies. Whatever it is, tales of romance on trains are always a joy to hear and report. One such story can be found in our Great Rail Journeys history.

All rail holidays in Scotland should include the Jacobite Steam Train. These days the train is most famous for its appearance as the Hogwarts Express.